Via Holden, yesterday’s episode of Flounder the Magical White House Fish:

Q Let me — these are obviously difficult days for Republicans. The top Republican —

MR. McCLELLAN: Not for Judge Roberts. (Laughter.)

Q Good point there. But the President’s political standing has eroded significantly; we’ve gone through the laundry list of other potential legal problems for other top Republicans. As essentially the top Republican in the land, how does the President —

MR. McCLELLAN: Someone had to stop all the goodwill in this room.

Q Right. How does the President assess the state of the Republican Party, a party that’s got to face voters again in congressional elections —

MR. McCLELLAN: The Republican Party is a party of ideas, and a party of finding solutions to the pressing problems before the American people. The President believes that we are here to lead and to solve problems. That is why we are pressing ahead on the important priorities to get things done for the American people. And that’s what we will continue to do. You have a united congressional leadership in the Republican Party that is determined to continue getting things done for the American people, and that’s exactly what we’ll do. And the President will continue leading on the highest priorities facing the American people. That’s what we have continued to do.

Q Does that answer suggest the President just puts his hands over his eyes and over his ears and doesn’t pay attention to what is going on in this town?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, absolutely not.

Q Well, then what about —

MR. McCLELLAN: What’s going on in Washington is different from what may be going on in America. I know Washington —

Q Okay, in America, the President’s political standing is significantly eroded; —

MR. McCLELLAN: Hang on. I’ll come to you — hang on, hang on —

Q — one of the top Republicans in Congress is now under indictment; you’ve got the top Republican in the Senate who is under investigation; you’ve got a leak probe of this White House’s activities of releasing secrets. These are difficult days, are they not, for the Republican Party? How does the President assess it; does he worry about it?

MR. McCLELLAN: These are days of important progress for the American people because we’re pushing ahead on the priorities that they are most concerned about. The American people are most concerned about making sure that we win the war on terrorism and that we succeed in Iraq, and that we address the issue of high energy prices. And they’re most concerned about making sure that the people who have been affected by these hurricanes are taken care of. And those are the priorities that this President is focused on.